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              AMN - Al-Masdar News | المصدر نيوز
              • عربي
                • All
                • اليمن
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                النجم صلاح

                القيمة السوقية للنجم العربي صلاح في أرتفاع

                الشيخوخة

                علماء ألمان يكشفون أحد أسباب تأخر الشيخوخة

                محمد صلاح

                تمثال محمد صلاح مثير للسخرية

                Khashoggi

                عاجل: السعودية تعترف بمقتل جمال خاشقجي

                القهوة

                نبأ غير سار لمحبي القهوة

                السبانخ

                تعرف على أبرز فوائد السبانخ

                ترامب

                قاضي متهم بالأعتداء الجنسي يدعمه ترامب

                خاشقجي

                جنغيز خطيبة خاشقجي مستعدة لزيارة واشنطن

                Popular movement declares resistance to foreign troops in Syria’s Manbij

                انطلاق المقاومة الشعبية ضد الاحتلال التركي والأميركي في منبج

                Trending Tags

                • Syria
                  Russian military conducts joint patrols with US-backed forces in Manbij (PHOTOS)

                  Russian military uncovers cave used by Turkish-backed forces in southern Idlib

                  EEUU niega haber bombardeado un depósito químico en Deir Ezzor

                  Pentagon claims 1 ‘Iran-backed’ fighter killed during east Syria strike

                  Jordanian military neutralizes terrorist cell in Salt

                  Jordanian army thwarts massive drug smuggling attempt from Syria

                  New images show before and after photos of US attack on eastern Syria sites

                  New images show before and after photos of US attack on eastern Syria sites

                  Palmira: Suriye Ordusu ve Müttefikler Mobilize Oluyor !

                  Iraqi group says US attack in Syria ‘will not go without punishment’

                  Syrian Army retakes oil fields from ISIS and brings hope to resolve power shortage

                  Syrian gas pipeline comes under attack in Deir Ezzor

                  One of Russia’s most powerful warships will head to Syrian waters

                  US submarine was ready to sink Russian warships after 2018 strikes: Fox News

                  EEUU niega haber bombardeado un depósito químico en Deir Ezzor

                  US ‘destroyed 9 facilities’ during eastern Syria attack: Pentagon

                  Russian Air Force launches massive attack on jihadist headquarters in northeast Latakia: video

                  Russian Air Force launches massive attack on jihadist headquarters in northeast Latakia: video

                • Iraq
                  CBS video footage shows Iranian attack on US forces at Ain Al-Assad base in Iraq

                  CBS video footage shows Iranian attack on US forces at Ain Al-Assad base in Iraq

                  New images show before and after photos of US attack on eastern Syria sites

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                  Palmira: Suriye Ordusu ve Müttefikler Mobilize Oluyor !

                  Iraqi group says US attack in Syria ‘will not go without punishment’

                  Iraqi FM makes first visit to Iran following US strikes on eastern Syria

                  Iraqi FM makes first visit to Iran following US strikes on eastern Syria

                  Arab League holds emergency meeting over Gaza in Cairo (video)

                  Iraq calls on Arab League to restore Syria’s membership

                  Earthquake

                  Dozens injured as earthquake hits southwestern Iran

                  Erbil, Iraq

                  Turkey condemns rocket attack in northern Iraq’s Erbil

                  Erbil, Iraq

                  Journalists, activists, go on trial in Iraqi Kurdistan over ‘endangering’ national security

                  Iraqi government given mandate to deploy troops to disputed Kirkuk

                  Iraqi intelligence forces seize large ISIS explosives warehouse

                  Trending Tags

                  • Yemen
                    Saudi-led coalition-backed forces seize public offices south of Hodeidah (video)

                    Yemen’s Southern Transitional Council warns of Marib falling to Houthis, calls on Biden to end war

                    VIDEO: Israel Defense Forces take out Syrian Army drone over the Golan Heights

                    Saudi Coalition intercepts Houthi missile along Yemeni border

                    Yemen Heads towards Worst Famine World has Seen in Decades

                    Yemen Heads towards Worst Famine World has Seen in Decades

                    VIDEO: Israel Defense Forces take out Syrian Army drone over the Golan Heights

                    Saudi air defenses intercept 3 Houthi drones along Yemeni border: video

                    Iran’s IRGC forces unveil new suicide drones: photos

                    Iran deployed kamikaze drones in Red Sea amid fears of conflict with US: media

                    Las fuerzas yemeníes abaten 10 soldados saudíes

                    Over 50 fighters killed in battle for key city in northern Yemen

                    Saudi-led coalition-backed forces seize public offices south of Hodeidah (video)

                    Powerful explosion targets military vehicles in southern Yemen

                    Saudi-backed forces suffer heavy losses as Houthis advances in northern Yemen

                    ‘We will not hesitate to declare jihad against Israel’: Houthis

                    Busted: ISIS pretends to destroy Syrian T-90 tank by blowing up its own tank

                    US to designate Yemen’s Ansarallah Movement as terrorist entity

                    Trending Tags

                    • Africa
                      nigerian president

                      Nigeria president rules out amnesty for militant bandits

                      Covid Vaccine

                      Africa: Will Africa ever get the COVID vaccine?

                      The somali security forces are deployed across the city and have setup roadblock, closing most roads

                      Somalia: Heavy gunfire in capital amid election protests

                      nigerian president

                      Gunmen storm Nigerian school and kidnap students

                      Two Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen fighting against Houthis

                      Sudanese army clashes with Ethiopian forces along disputed border

                      Aftermath of Terror Attack in Mogadishu, Somalia

                      Somalia: 3 al-Shabaab militants killed after mortar attack

                      Two Sudanese soldiers killed in Yemen fighting against Houthis

                      Sudanese army launches counter-attack against Ethiopian forces along border region

                      Pirates attack Turkish ship off the coast of Nigeria

                      Pirates attack Turkish ship off the coast of Nigeria

                      Ethiopian Army takes control of Humera Airport as battle with Tigray separatists intensifies

                      Ethiopia accuses ‘third party’ of pushing Sudan to war

                      Trending Tags

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                        • West Africa
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                        • All
                        • Jordan
                        Jordanian military neutralizes terrorist cell in Salt

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                        Jordanian Army foils infiltration attempt from southern Syria

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                        Bahrain, Israel discuss security cooperation

                        US sends B-52 bombers to Middle East to deal with Iran ‘threat’

                        US flies B-52 strategic bombers over Middle East

                        Sen. Rand Paul challenges new Sec. of State over regime change in Syria: video

                        Sen. Rand Paul challenges new Sec. of State over regime change in Syria: video

                        Reports: Egypt has sent 800 troops to Yemen

                        New 2021 rankings for the strongest military forces in the Middle East

                        Mistura urges Syria political process move ‘expeditiously’

                        Russian envoy cites Martin Luther King Jr., calls on US to end arms race in Middle East

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                        US B-52 bombers fly over Middle East in show of force against Iran: video

                        Joe Biden makes first comments on assassination of Iranian nuclear scientist

                        Biden administration informed Israel that it has begun secret contacts with Iran: Channel 12

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                          Home » Opinion » Children of the Glass Palace: Why Russia’s foreign policy has backfired

                          Children of the Glass Palace: Why Russia’s foreign policy has backfired

                          News Desk by News Desk
                          2015-01-23 - Updated on 2015-01-24
                          in Opinion
                          Reading Time: 6min read
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                          Children of the Glass Palace: Why Russia’s foreign policy has backfired

                          The Ruins of Donetsk airport, 24 December 2014. (Pravda DNR)

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                          Earlier on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was compelled to comment on the State of the Union address by U.S. President Barack Obama. The address, which described Russia’s actions in Ukraine as “bullying”, but one which has ultimately led to the defeat of Russian objectives, was defined by Lavrov as “aggressive”.  While the speech does describe Washington’s Iranian, Cuban and Middle Eastern efforts as diplomatic victories of a nation destined to rule the world (supposedly) for its own good, it was painfully correct in its assessment of Russia’s international position.

                          In his speech, President Obama formulated American diplomatic strength with regards to the Ukrainian crisis rather briefly. He insisted that the United States are “upholding the principle that bigger nations can’t bully the small by opposing Russian aggression and supporting Ukraine’s democracy”, adding that “America…stands strong and united with our allies, while Russia is isolated, with its economy in tatters”.

                          The first statement is near-delusional, for the Ukrainian oligarchic morass is anything but a democratic government, and the assertion that small nations do not or cannot be bullied by bigger ones is quite simply a preposterous one. The second statement does, however, ring very true. Russia has committed a number of grave strategic mistakes that have put its economy to a grinding halt and have left it in search for partners.

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                          Skewed perceptions

                          Picture a group of children living in a glass palace. They grow together and share similar experiences inside their remarkable architectural monument. They have made up their own rules of their own games on their own terrains. When something happens outside the walls of their palace, they cannot see it clearly as the overlapping walls of the structure crook the image. The children interpret the picture not through what they see, for it is an unreliable image, but through the possible explanations created by their own limited set of rules and perceptions.

                          This is how Western leaders (and many of their followers) seem to understand international events; their entire worldview is skewed in a black and white juxtaposition of a “free world” pitted against dozens of “undemocratic regimes” that need to be converted. There is no middle ground. Anyone living in a non-democratic country inevitably suffers under the burden of dictatorship and human rights abuses. Whenever the chance for grassroots regime change appears, European and American leaders grab it and issue support for any self-declared democracy movement on the horizon. If Russia, a deeply subconscious Cold War-era threat, would suffer a setback from these disturbances, that would be even better.

                          ALSO READ  D-day for Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny as Russian court considers longer jail term
                          U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with Ukrainian opposition members Arseniy Yatenyuk (right), Vitaly Klichko (left) and Petro Poroshenko (far left). (Mark Mueller / MSC)
                          U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry with Ukrainian opposition members Arseniy Yatenyuk (right), Vitaly Klichko (left) and Petro Poroshenko (far left). (Mark Mueller / MSC)

                          Moscow answered to the “colour revolutions” in post-Soviet countries with adequately covert measures which kept the governments of Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan more or less in line with Moscow. The Georgian pro-Western “revolutionaries” set the stage for their own demise by sending troops to the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. But Vladimir Putin and his government evidently failed to come up with a proper response to the “glass palace perception” in post-Maidan Ukraine.

                          A quagmire close to home

                          Even before the rise of the Maidan movement, Western media had already been drumming up concern over Russia’s supposed lack of freedoms through widespread coverage of anti-gay legislation, racism and trials against journalists or self-proclaimed activists. No Russian stance was valid, it was all propaganda of an “ultra-nationalist”, homophobic, anti-democratic regime which deserves no place in the elitarian club of free and democratic nations. And when pro-EU protests rocked Ukraine, this meant two things for the children of the glass palace. First, the brave Ukrainian people are rising and breaking away from the tyranny of their pro-Russian dictator, so they must be supported. Second, the aggressive eastern neighbour must be kept in check, and none of its demands should be considered.

                          Russia’s first major mistake was its attempt to discredit the Maidan movement and the armed protesters. In the eyes of the Western world, no “freedom activists” can be discredited, especially if they fight against a pro-Russian oligarch. The information war against the new, Western-backed Kiev government could have never succeeded because delusions are impossible to shatter. There is no way to convince the Western public and leadership, both conditioned to perceive only through their limited understanding of freedom, that the Ukrainian shift in direction would alter regional security and politics into something unpredictable.

                          Unmarked Russian troops in Perevalne, Crimea, March 2014. (Anton Holoborodko/Commons)
                          Unmarked Russian troops in Perevalne, Crimea, March 2014. (Anton Holoborodko/Commons)

                          Ukraine, a country of 45 million people hosting key Russian naval facilities, would have shifted towards the European Union and NATO. It is still very likely to receive some kind of integration with these organisations if it does not receive membership, a goal that seems out of reach even in the long-term. The proper course of action to this would have been, ironically, a much more aggressive Russian response. Just like Saudi Arabia intervened in Bahrain to save its government from being toppled, Moscow should have exercised a rapid, full-scale military operation designed to restore order to the country. It certainly would have produced significant diplomatic fallout, but its successful execution would have prevented both the annexation of Crimea and the war in eastern Ukraine.

                          ALSO READ  US believes it gave Russia enough notice before eastern Syria strikes

                          Instead, these two operations now serve only to continuously grind Russia’s image and to negatively impact its economy. Neither of these moves has so far prevented Ukraine from turning West, and neither of them has shattered the walls of the glass palace, telling its inhabitants to cease their dangerous game of eastward expansion. Whether Ukraine is a sovereign state which can choose its geopolitical direction is irrelevant. It’s a big game for big players where international law has the weight of a college paper, and Russia is far from being the first one to break the rules. But Putin played his cards incorrectly, failed to send a strong signal to his Western counterparts and is now left with an aching problem right at his country’s southwestern border.

                          Complicated relationships

                          With the Minsk Agreement ceasefire practically collapsing in January 2015, Russia finds itself in an ever-worsening position. Moscow is now attempting to offset the economic effects of its actions by introducing the Eurasian Economic Union while scrambling diplomatic assets to strengthen ties with Iran, Cuba and a handful of other countries. But, even before the Ukrainian events, Russia failed to attract significant allies of its own. Those it already has are few and far between, and without vital economies.

                          This is largely due to the passive approach to foreign affairs in the post-Yeltsin years, when domestic restoration was prioritised over international relations. Russian authorities did not seem to pursue close contacts with either traditional (Libya, Algeria) or untraditional (South Korea, South Africa) partners. Most of the exchanges occurring were in the arms manufacturing sector and few other spheres of economic cooperation were ever considered. The embargo on EU food imports in 2014 showcased the importance of having a network of diverse and healthy trade partners worldwide – something Russia disregarded for nearly a decade.

                          ALSO READ  US submarine was ready to sink Russian warships after 2018 strikes: Fox News
                          Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev (left), Belarusian president Alexandr Lukashenko (centre) and Russian president Vladimir Putin (right) at a Customs Union meeting in Minsk, August 2014. (kremlin.ru)
                          Kazakh president Nursultan Nazarbayev (left), Belarusian president Alexandr Lukashenko (centre) and Russian president Vladimir Putin (right) at a Customs Union meeting in Minsk, August 2014. (kremlin.ru)

                          As a non-democratic country in the eyes of the West, it will never be a fully equal partner to the European Union, much less so to the United States. Nobody in the glass palace will trade with you if you don’t follow the rules, especially if you’re big enough to make your own set of rules, like Russia. Moscow’s long-term objective should be to strengthen its own sphere, something it is apparently trying to do with the Eurasian Economic Union. But merely filling the shoes of the former Soviet Union will not be enough – the Russian government needs to be creative, proactive and flexible on the international scene, especially among rising countries in Africa and South America. It should also keep in mind that China will remain a passive competitor.

                          Breaking the walls

                          In brief, Russian foreign policy moves over the past few years have largely backfired. Instead of securing Russia’s geopolitical clout, they have further reduced it. Russia also failed to send clear signals to Western countries, which consequently continued to meddle in the post-Soviet space. No major allies gravitated towards Moscow, and many of its formerly close ones, like Libya, Ethiopia, Algeria and Vietnam, have either fallen or strayed away to greener pastures. Its economy might still not be in tatters, but President Obama’s address was correct in its assessment of Russia as an isolated state.

                          Putin’s most reasonable move would now be to make sure the conflict in Ukraine is resolved and its pro-Western orientation corrected by other means. The glass walls might break from the inside, but nobody would want to go out of the palace when they can hear something rumbling outside without sending a coherent message.

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